Machine for making artificial flowers



July 24, 1928. 1,678,482-

M. ROBINSON MACHINE FOR MAKING ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS Filed Nov. 7, l2'7 2 Sheets-$heet 1 anvemtoz Mar/ 1's 120$ inswz 8% id WWMMM July 24, 1928.

M. ROBINSON MACHINE FOR MAKING ARTIFICIAL Fnowahs a x WWE .m MN N a g Filed Nov. '7, 1927 gl-vwemtoi I Morris 12061728072 315 W fltlfo'ww Patented July 24, 1928.

- UNITED s'rarss PATENT OFFICE.

MORRIS ROBINSON, 01F YORK, Y.

' MACHINE FOR MAKING ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS.

Application filed November 7, 1927. Serial No. 231,500.

invention is to provide a machine for this purpose, thereby greatly reducing the cost of production, saving of labor, and insuring a more uniform formation of the petals. A plurality of the curled petals are assembled to complete the corolla of the flower. The petals are preferably formed from silk, lawn,

or other fabric but paper celluloid or other' flexible material may be employed.

Before being placed inthe machine the material to be curled is cut of the desired size and shape which at a predetermined distance from one edge, is split into a plurality of equal sized strips. without the removal of any of the material, which strips lie flat and close together when placed upon the machine before the curling action is started,

but which are separately andv uniformly curled by separate heated rollers when the machine is operated. V

The detailsof constructionand' operation of the device are hereinafter particularly described. In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a top plan view ofa machine embodying my invention, 7

Figure 2 is a side. elevation of the same, Figure 3 is an enlarged section on the broken line 3'3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a plan view of the curling rollers in enlarged size, partly in section and with the shaft'broken off, V

Figure 5 is a plan of one of thepieces to be curled before being placed; on themachine. Figure 6 is a perspective view of such strip in larger size after it has passed through the machine,

Figure 7 is a side elevation showing a modification, I

Figure 8 is a similar View showing another modification,

Figure 9 is'another viewof the modification shown in Figure 8, but with the machine placed at a different position on the table, and

Figure 10 is a similaryiew to Figures 8 and 9 showing the machine placed at the op{ posite end of the table tothat shown in Fig- 'ure9. i

Similar reference characters denote like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to thedrawings, 10 denotes a table or bench upon which my machine is supported by angle brackets 11 and 12, which rest upon the top of the-table 10, their upper angular ends being secured by screws, bolts ,or in any suitable manner to the bottom of a bed 13, one at each end thereof.

The bed 13 is provided with longitudinalrecesses 14 and 15, and within the recess 14 at each side thereof the bed is provided with a longitudinal slot 16. A plate 17 is V slidably arranged within these slots 16 and secured to the bottom of this plate by bolts or screws 18 at its center, and extending longitudinally thereof within therecess 15 in the bed 13 is a bar 19, a portion of its under surface being toothed to form a longitudinal rack 20.

Another flat plate 21 of less width than the plate 17 is seated upon the top of the plate 17 within the recess 14 in the bed 13, anda block 22, of rubber rests upo-nthe top of the plate 21.

Upon the top of the rubber block 22 rests another plate 23 of like dimensions to the plate 21. The plates 17, 21 and 23 are held together by screws 24, which also serve to tightly clamp the rubber block 22 between the plates'21 and 23. The lower ends of the screws 24 are smooth and pointed and enter longitudinal grooves in the bed 13 in which they are slidable.

The plate 17 is given a horizontal forward and backward movement upon the bed 13 by means of a gear 25 fixed upon a shaft 26,

which gear meshes with the rack 20 on the bar 19.

The shaft 26is journaled in bearings 27 depending from the bottom of fixedthereto.

The shaft 26 is rotated by a. crank 28 provided at its freeend with a handle 29.

As theplate 17 is moved in either direction,it, of course, carries with it the plate 21, rubber block 22 and top plate 23.

An opening 30 is provided in theplate 23 of a size and shape to receive thepiece of material 31 tobe operated upon.

I I have illustrated in Figure 5 one of the forms to be operated upon, which has been previously cut of the desired size and shape andsplit into a plurality of equal strips 32 without the removal of any of the material,

the bed 13 and which strips lie flat and close together as shown in said figure.

lVhen these forms are operated upon it may be in some cases preferable to slightly separate the strips 32 one from the other, and for this purpose I provide a row of spaced pin holes 33 in the plate 23, into which are inserted pins 34 which also guide the strips as they are drawn between the ins.

The ends of the yoke 35 straddle the forward end of the bed 13 to which they are pivotally connected by pins or screws 36. This yoke is provided with a handle 37 by means of which it. is rocked forward and backward on the pivot pins or screws 36.

A shaft 38 is supported in the yoke 35 at a predetermined distance below the handle 37; this shaft has reduced ends 39 which enter holes in the sides of the yoke, one of the reduced ends being somewhat longer than the other. For a certain distance adjacent its reduced ends the shaft 38 is threaded. In connecting this shaft to the yoke the longest of its reduced ends is passed into and through one of the holes in the yoke, which permits the shorter reduced end to be inserted into the opposite hole in the oke when its larger threaded portion contacts with the yoke at that end of the shaft which brings the other or longest reduced end flush with the outer surface of the yoke at that side.

The shaft 38 is held in this position by means of a latch 40, one end ofwhich is securedto the yoke by a screw 41 which is normally tightened sufficiently to hold the latch by friction immovably against the yoke covering the reduced end of the shaft at the same time. but which may be loosened sufficiently to allow the latch to be swung downwardly to uncover the end of the shaft whenever it is desired to change the shaft or remove it from the yoke for any purpose.

A sleeve 42 surrounds the shaft 38 and is adjustable longitudinally thereon. It is held in the desired fixed position by means of nuts 4.3 engaging the threaded ends of the shaft 38.

F ixed' to the sleeve 42 area plurality of spaced rollers 44 which are preferably provided with circumferential grooves 45. The yoke is provided with a leg or legs 46 which when the yoke is swung into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 holds the yoke at a predetermined distance above the table 10 or in horizontal alignment with the bed 13. In this position the rollers 44 on the sleeve 42 are brought directly over an elongated gas burner 47, the gas pipe 48 leading to such burner being supported by a bracket 49 fixed to the top of the table 10.

In operating the machine the piece of material 31 is placed within the opening 30 in the plate 23 and upon the rubber block 22. The rollers 44 having become properly heated over the burner 47 the yoke is swung over towards the plate 23 until the rollers rest thereon adjacent the opening 30. The operator then turns the crank 28, which rotates the shaft 26, when the gear 25 there on meshing with the rack 20 moves the plate 1'? and parts supported thereon forward, whereby the material 31 passes under and in contact with the heated rollers by which the strips 32 are curled into the form shown in Figure 6 and closely resembling the leaves of a flower. A plurality of these curled pieces when properly assembled complete the corolla of the flower, and I usually operate upon several superimposed pieces at one time.

While I prefer to make the block of soft rubber with a smooth upper surface it may be made of cork or other yieldable material.

It will be readily understood that plates with openings of different sizes may be easily interchanged for the plate 23 when desired to accommodate pieces of various sizes and also that the sleeve 42 may be adjusted upon the shaft 38 by manipulating the nuts 43 on the threaded ends of the shaft or that the shaft may be quickly detached from the yoke and another substituted carrying rollers of smaller or larger diameter.

While I prefer to pivotally connect the yoke 35 to the bed 13, as heretofore described and shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and operated by hand, it may be arranged vertically as shown in Figs. 7, 8. 9 and 10. In the modification shown in Figures 8, 9 and 10 the yoke 35 is fixed to the bed 13 and the shaft carrying the rollers 44 is journaled in hearings in de pending arms 50.

In this construction the as burner 51 may be supported on the yoke. as shown, in alignment with the rollers. In this modification a vertical rod 52 passes through an opening in the table 10 with its upper end attached to a plate 53 upon which the brackets 11 and 12 rest, as illustrated in Figures 8 and 9, or the upper end of the rod may be attached directly to the bottom of the bed as shown in Figure 10.

This rod 52 is moved upwardly by means of a treadle 54. It will thus be seen that by depressing the pedal 54 the bed 13 and parts carried by it will be raised so that the plate 23 and the material to be operated upon will be brought under and in contactwith the heated rollers 44 when the bed and parts carried thereby will be moved by the operator by means of the crank in the same manner as heretofore described.

In the modification shown in' Figure 7 the vertical sides 55 of the yoke 35 extend through openings in the table 10 and are connected with a foot treadle 56 by which the rollers 44 are brought down upon the plate 23, as indicated in dotted lines.

My invention provides a machine for the purpose described by which much time and labor are saved thereby reducing the cost of production, and by means of W-flllCll the petals are uniformly curled and shaped, and a plurality of pieces of material maybe operated upon at one time.

I claim as my invention i 1. A machine of the character described, comprising a block of yielding material, a support for the same, a plate provided with an opening to receive thematerial to be acted upon and secured upon the top of said block, a pivoted yoke, a shaft supported thereby, a plurality of spaced rollers mounted upon said shaft, means for heating said rollers, means for giving said support for the block a forward movement, said yoke being capable of being swung to bring said heated rollers into contact with the said plate during said movement of the block support. v p

A machine for curling and shaping flexible material, comprising a plate provided with an opening to receive the mate rial, a block of yielding substance upon which said plate is seated, a support for said a block, a shaft, a plurality of spaced rollers mounted upon said shaft, a support for the shaft, means for heating said rollers, means for bringing said rollers and plate into contact with each other, and means for giving the support for said block a forward and backward movement whereby the heated rollers pass over and bear upon the material within the opening in said plate.

3. A machine of the character described,

comprising a bed provided with oppositeparallel longitudinal grooves, a support for the bed, a plate slidable in said grooves in the bed, a rack connected with the bottom of the said plate, another plate seated upon said first plate, a block of yielding material seated upon said second plate, another plate provided with an opening to receive the material. to be acted upon and seated upon said block, a transverse shaft journaled in bearings in said bed, a gear fixed thereon and meshing with the rack on said first plate, a

crank for rotating said shaft whereby said block and plates are'given a forward andbackward movement, another shaft, a support for the same, a plurality of spaced rollers mounted upon said second shaft, means for heating said rollers, means for bringing said rollers and said plate carrying the material into contact with each other while said plate is moving forward.

4. A machine of the character described, comprising a bed, a support for the same, a plate slidable in longitudinal groovesin said bed, a second plate seated upon said first plate, a block of yielding material seated upon said second plate, another plate seated upon the top of said block and provided with an opening to receive the material to be acted upon, a yoke pivotally connected with said bed, a shaft journaled in bearings in MORRIS ROBINSON. 

